Care closures face objection

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Published:12:25Wednesday 29 July 2015

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Proposals to close short-term care beds at a Chapel care home have been strongly criticised by the parish council.

Councillors wrote to Derbyshire County Council this week to express their strong objection to county proposals to the close six beds at Ecclesfold Resource Centre, in Manchester Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith.

The letter states: “If the short term care beds are removed and the resource centre closed, it will mean there is no local care for local people in Chapel-en-le-Frith and its surrounding areas. We feel people should have the choice to stay in or as near to their home and family as possible.”

The letter adds: “Ecclesfold is the only resource of its kind in the area. Its removal would force local people to have to attend one of the hospitals for care.

“The two closest hospitals – Stepping Hill Hospital, in Stockport, and Macclesfield General Hospital – are both a considerable distance from Chapel-en-le-Frith.

“This in turn may isolate people who have to attend hospital instead of being in a short term care bed at Ecclesfold, as their relatives may find it difficult to travel such a distance to visit them.

“Surely the closure of short term care beds would also have an adverse effect on the NHS already critical bed shortage in hospitals.”

“Once again we strenuously object to the closure and the lack of resources it will leave the Parish area without,” the letter adds.

The potential closure is part of a wider proposal by Derbyshire County Council to shut up to five care homes across the county.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Councillor Paul Smith said: “Our goal is to secure the long-term future of county council accommodation and services for older people, which includes developing extra care housing and specialist residential care centres as well as continuing to provide more traditional residential care. To do this we have to look at some changes to the way we run some of our services.”